5/3/1: Boring But Big
The most popular 5/3/1 template. After your 3 main working sets, grind 5×10 at 50% of your training max on the same lift. Finish each session with 25–50 reps each of push, pull, and core. Simple, brutal, effective — builds both strength and size.
Free during beta · auto progression, rest timers & PR tracking built in
What is 5/3/1: Boring But Big?
Boring But Big is Jim Wendler's most popular 5/3/1 template, and the one he recommends to almost everyone who asks. The skeleton is classic 5/3/1: four sessions a week, each built around one main lift — squat, bench press, deadlift and overhead press — working up through three percentage-based sets that wave heavier across a four-week cycle, with the last set pushed for as many reps as possible. What makes BBB different is what comes after: five sets of ten on the same lift at 50% of your training max. That supplemental volume is the "big" part, and after week two it stops feeling boring and starts feeling like the hardest thing in the gym.
Each session closes with simple assistance work — a push, a pull and core movement in the 25–50 rep range. Nothing exotic, nothing to overthink. The template's genius is that all the decisions are made for you: the percentages come off a training max set at 90% of your real max, so every bar weight for the whole cycle is known before you walk in.
Is 5/3/1: Boring But Big right for you?
BBB is built for lifters past the beginner stage — you've run a linear progression like Starting Strength or GZCLP, adding weight every session no longer works, and you want to get bigger while your strength keeps climbing. It's a powerbuilding program at heart: the 5/3/1 sets drive strength, the 5×10 drives size. It is not the right pick if you're brand new (run a novice LP first and enjoy the fast gains), and the 5×10 squat and deadlift sets are genuinely punishing — if your recovery, sleep or calories are marginal, you will feel it by week three. Wendler himself says to eat big while running it.
How progression works
You start by setting a training max — 90% of your true 1RM — for each of the four lifts. All percentages work off that number, not your real max. Week one is 5s (65/75/85% of TM), week two is 3s (70/80/90%), week three is 5/3/1 (75/85/95%), and week four is a deload at 40/50/60%. On the top set of the first three weeks you do as many quality reps as possible. At the end of each cycle the training max goes up: +2.5 kg on bench and press, and it's standard to double that jump on squat and deadlift. Miss your minimum reps and you reduce the TM by 10% and rebuild — the program is self-correcting by design.
DropSet runs this progression for you — every session's weights are computed automatically from your training maxes and logged AMRAP sets.
5/3/1: Boring But Big — every set, every session
Percentages are of your training max (TM). AMRAP = as many reps as possible on the final set.
Week 14 sessions
Squat — 5s week
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Squat (Barbell) | 1×5 @ 65% 1×5 @ 75% 1×5+ @ 85% AMRAP 5×10 @ 50% | 2:30 |
| Leg Press (Machine) | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Lying Leg Curl (Machine) | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Ab Wheel | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
OHP — 5s week
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Overhead Press (Barbell) | 1×5 @ 65% 1×5 @ 75% 1×5+ @ 85% AMRAP 5×10 @ 50% | 2:30 |
| Chin Up | 5×10+ AMRAP | 2:30 |
| Face Pull | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Ab Wheel | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
Deadlift — 5s week
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlift (Barbell) | 1×5 @ 65% 1×5 @ 75% 1×5+ @ 85% AMRAP 5×10 @ 50% | 2:30 |
| Good Morning (Barbell) | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Lying Leg Curl (Machine) | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Hanging Leg Raise | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
Bench — 5s week
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 1×5 @ 65% 1×5 @ 75% 1×5+ @ 85% AMRAP 5×10 @ 50% | 2:30 |
| Dumbbell Row | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Triceps Dip | 5×10+ AMRAP | 2:30 |
| Ab Wheel | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
Week 24 sessions
Squat — 3s week
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Squat (Barbell) | 1×3 @ 70% 1×3 @ 80% 1×3+ @ 90% AMRAP 5×10 @ 50% | 2:30 |
| Leg Press (Machine) | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Lying Leg Curl (Machine) | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Ab Wheel | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
OHP — 3s week
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Overhead Press (Barbell) | 1×3 @ 70% 1×3 @ 80% 1×3+ @ 90% AMRAP 5×10 @ 50% | 2:30 |
| Chin Up | 5×10+ AMRAP | 2:30 |
| Face Pull | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Ab Wheel | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
Deadlift — 3s week
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlift (Barbell) | 1×3 @ 70% 1×3 @ 80% 1×3+ @ 90% AMRAP 5×10 @ 50% | 2:30 |
| Good Morning (Barbell) | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Lying Leg Curl (Machine) | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Hanging Leg Raise | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
Bench — 3s week
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 1×3 @ 70% 1×3 @ 80% 1×3+ @ 90% AMRAP 5×10 @ 50% | 2:30 |
| Dumbbell Row | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Triceps Dip | 5×10+ AMRAP | 2:30 |
| Ab Wheel | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
Week 34 sessions
Squat — 5/3/1 week
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Squat (Barbell) | 1×5 @ 75% 1×3 @ 85% 1×1+ @ 95% AMRAP 5×10 @ 50% | 2:30 |
| Leg Press (Machine) | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Lying Leg Curl (Machine) | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Ab Wheel | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
OHP — 5/3/1 week
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Overhead Press (Barbell) | 1×5 @ 75% 1×3 @ 85% 1×1+ @ 95% AMRAP 5×10 @ 50% | 2:30 |
| Chin Up | 5×10+ AMRAP | 2:30 |
| Face Pull | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Ab Wheel | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
Deadlift — 5/3/1 week
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlift (Barbell) | 1×5 @ 75% 1×3 @ 85% 1×1+ @ 95% AMRAP 5×10 @ 50% | 2:30 |
| Good Morning (Barbell) | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Lying Leg Curl (Machine) | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Hanging Leg Raise | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
Bench — 5/3/1 week
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 1×5 @ 75% 1×3 @ 85% 1×1+ @ 95% AMRAP 5×10 @ 50% | 2:30 |
| Dumbbell Row | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Triceps Dip | 5×10+ AMRAP | 2:30 |
| Ab Wheel | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
Week 44 sessions
Squat — Deload
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Squat (Barbell) | 1×5 @ 40% 1×5 @ 50% 1×5 @ 60% | 2:30 |
| Leg Press (Machine) | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Lying Leg Curl (Machine) | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Ab Wheel | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
OHP — Deload
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Overhead Press (Barbell) | 1×5 @ 40% 1×5 @ 50% 1×5 @ 60% | 2:30 |
| Chin Up | 5×10+ AMRAP | 2:30 |
| Face Pull | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Ab Wheel | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
Deadlift — Deload
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlift (Barbell) | 1×5 @ 40% 1×5 @ 50% 1×5 @ 60% | 2:30 |
| Good Morning (Barbell) | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Lying Leg Curl (Machine) | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Hanging Leg Raise | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
Bench — Deload
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 1×5 @ 40% 1×5 @ 50% 1×5 @ 60% | 2:30 |
| Dumbbell Row | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
| Triceps Dip | 5×10+ AMRAP | 2:30 |
| Ab Wheel | 5×10–12 | 2:30 |
5/3/1: Boring But Big — common questions
What weight should the 5×10 sets be?
50% of your training max, which works out to roughly 45% of your true 1RM. It looks insultingly light on paper — by set four of ten it won't. Wendler's variations range from 30% to 70%, but 50% is the standard prescription and the one this template uses.
What training max should I start with?
90% of your current 1RM. If you don't know your 1RM, use a recent heavy set: DropSet estimates your e1RM from any rep set and seeds the TM for you. Starting too heavy is the #1 way people ruin 5/3/1 — when in doubt, go lighter; the AMRAP sets let you express extra strength anyway.
How long is each session?
Around 60–75 minutes with honest rest periods. The main 5/3/1 work takes about 20 minutes, the 5×10 supplemental about 25 with shorter rests, and assistance fills the remainder. The deload week runs much shorter.
Can I run BBB on a cut?
You can, but it's the wrong tool. The 5×10 volume is a size-building stimulus that wants a calorie surplus behind it. On a cut, most lifters do better on a lower-volume 5/3/1 template like the Triumvirate, saving BBB for when they can eat to support it.
How many cycles should I run it?
Wendler suggests treating BBB as a 2–3 cycle (8–12 week) block, then rotating to something else or testing new maxes. If your AMRAP sets are still setting rep PRs and you're recovering, there's no reason to stop.
Source: Jim Wendler — 5/3/1 programming
DropSet is not affiliated with or endorsed by the program's author. The program structure (sets, reps, exercise selection) is presented as published methodology.
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